Paradise Within…Happier Far

Chapter 3

Don't make me love you till I'm ready
Don't make me give you more than my kisses
I need you to go slow and steady
Don't make me love you till I'm ready.

Why you wanna rush into my life?
Don't you wanna stop and get to know me better?
We got all the time in the world tonight
And if we're meant to be we'll be together, oh oh
Stay around just slow it down
Till we find out if we got what it takes.

Everything I know about you so far
Makes me believe that you're the one for me
But there's still a lot that's on my mind
And I need time before we go further
Don't you see
So hold me, fold me, but don't be
Thinking I don't want you too

It's better with a little bit of mystery
Let's wait till we have a bit of history
Behind ourselves, ooh ohh yeah
We don't got to be in such a rush
We can live for the moment if we trust
We'll be right here tomorrow, oh yeah yeah

Don't make me love you till I'm ready
Yeah yeah

Don't Make Me Love You, writers Todd Chapman, Shelly Peiken

Sookie rolled over, awakened by the sun coming through the lightly flowered curtains. Ugh, she was so tired. She thought back through the evening before, the NIGHT before, and sat suddenly straight up in bed.

"Oh, my God!" she cried as she ran to the bathroom mirror. She stood there in the Merlotte's shirt she fell asleep in and bed hair looking at her perfect unmarred neck. She sighed with relief. Eric really hadn't taken her blood, and from the way she was dressed, he hadn't taken anything else either.

Had she really spent closing hours last night bonding with a vampire? A beautiful, enigmatic, but frightening vampire just the same? What did she think she was doing? Even as she scrubbed herself clean in the shower she remembered their conversation…

"…tried to seduce you…."

"…our lives are intertwined…"

"Faith, honor, and belief come before seduction and love…"

LOVE!!! What were they talking about… he was a vampire…he was dead! NO! NO! NO! She had wanted a little less boring, but this was WAY too much. She scrubbed her hair with a towel, hard enough to hurt while she condemned herself for her loneliness that had undoubtedly brought Eric Northman into her life.

She sighed, tearing a comb roughly through her tangled hair. Finally finished with that chore, she made her bed, and got dressed, heading to the kitchen to make some breakfast. She stomped around the large run-down but immaculately kept house as if she stomped her foot hard and long enough, Eric would hear her and know how pissed off she was. She drank some coffee, forgoing anything else for sustenance, and headed outside in the already superheated day to burn off even more of her frustration using her push mower on her poor grass.

If she really let herself think about it, she knew her irritation wasn't all attributed to Eric and their conversation last night. There was an unfamiliar ache between her legs whenever she thought of him. She knew lust when she felt it and she was feeling it in spades right now. Damn him! Her life had been just fine until she met him. Solitary mostly, poor definitely, boring to the point of tears. And then he showed up in her bar, at her table, all big and alpha (and she hadn't failed to notice the muscles either) and turned her world topsy-turvy. Well, she could only hope she had done the same to him, although she couldn't quite imagine that arrogant, sexual, beautiful man would ever be bothered more than a twinge by her. She thought it unlikely he was stomping his feet around in pique, or mowing his lawn in his sexual frustration. Of course, she laughed, he was sleeping, or rather DEAD at the moment and was not doing anything. Duh.

After she had exhausted herself mowing and cleaning, she pulled out her lawn chair and started sunning herself on the side lawn. Halfway through the afternoon a truck pulled down the lane and she was immediately awake and watching it warily. There was nothing down this way except the graveyard, so there really wasn't much traffic unless it was coming to her house. The clean white van had flowers painted on the side, marked with a Shreveport Florist logo. She slowly got up to meet the driver who was pulling out a medium sized arrangement, intending to deliver it to the door.

Sookie surprised him from the side. "Can I help you, sir?"

"I have a delivery for a Miss Sookie Stackhouse."

"That's me."

"Well, then here you are. They are all prepared but magnolia blossoms will require constant fresh water every day to last. Thank you very much." And he turned and walked away.

Sookie stood and stared at the arrangement. It was presented in a three or four inch low round vase of cut crystal. It was very heavy, so she could tell it was expensive. Positioned in a slightly irregular pattern were fresh pink magnolia blossoms and intertwined vines of night blooming jasmine. It was exquisite with the pink magnolias and the jasmine's green leaves with white flowers contrasting against it. Sookie had never received flowers before so her heart was beating rapidly. She quickly walked into the cooler house, gently setting the heavy vase on the counter to find the card. She opened it carefully, holding her breath, unsure what to expect. She read the card, handwritten with a flourish, with Eric's initials embossed on the top.

"Our destiny is intertwined together

just like the jasmine in this arrangement.

Unfortunately it will die eventually, but we never will.

And you still smell like magnolias. Yours, E."

Wow! That was romantic, Sookie thought. And beautiful. And scary too. What in the world did this guy want with her? She shook her head, ponytail bouncing, and went to find the card he had left her with his personal numbers on it. Even if she had never received flowers before, Gran had taught her the right manners to use when or if she ever did. She picked the card up from the pile by the phone and dialed his cell, knowing it would go directly to voicemail in the daytime, because of course he was DEAD during the day. She had to keep reminding herself of that so as not to tumble over the abyss into his waiting arms. Who knew how long his arms would be waiting and then where would she be?

She took a deep breath and dialed the number. His deep voice immediately answered with "Bite me," and then the beep.

Surprised, Sookie wasn't quite sure what to say.

"Hi Eric, it's me Sookie. Um, I got the flowers you sent today and your card. The flowers are real pretty, and the vase! Good grief, it is heavy enough to be a weapon! The words on the card were sweet and I guess we'll just have to see what happens. I'm off tonight if you want to call. Um…bye…Sookie."

Sookie gently carried the heavy arrangement to her bedside table, wondering again at the loveliness of it. The scent almost immediately filled the cool room. Sighing, she stripped off her bathing suit and showered all the sweat and sunscreen off from the day, allowing her mind to be lulled by the water and the earlier sun. Pulling on a light spaghetti strap top and old flannel pajama bottoms she climbed between the nice cool sheets, falling asleep late in the afternoon looking at her beautiful flowers. Her last thought before her eyes closed was "Eric."

Eric awoke suddenly as he always did. Being as very old as he was, he could rise earlier than most vampires. The sun was not quite down on the horizon. His first thought was "Sookie!" For over a week now, her name was the first on his lips when he awoke and the last before he slept. Ridiculous! He, Eric Northman, thousand year old vampire and Sheriff of Area 5 was being bewitched by an unworldly barmaid. And yet, he snorted, here he was, her name unbidden on his lips. He wondered if this was something like Henry VIII had felt about Anne Boleyn in the years it took him to win her. Eric remembered watching the King besotted over a manipulating and conniving girl. Eric could see Anne for what she was so clearly, hardly the pawn of her family later history would deem her, but a master at the art of teasing a man. That 'tease' lasted 6 years before she finally caved to the King, but only after he made her Queen, destroying a kingdom in the process.

Fortunately for Eric, Sookie may prove difficult to seduce, but would not take years certainly. And she was not a tease. A little time, a little patience, a little tenderness, and she would be his, blood, body, and soul. He had meant what he told her last night—they were destined for each other. He did not mean that lightly. Far back in his memories, he could recall rumors of a very few vampires creating the blood bond with a true mate, a destined mate, that created special powers for both. He couldn't remember why it happened in the ancient myths, and his research on the subject would have to be very secretive, because if someone found out that he had found that rare destined mate, the danger to them both would be extremely high.

Eric lazily reached for his phone, message light blinking and started to scroll through the messages. His personal phone was only for use by Pam or Chao, and now Sookie had the number. The other phone was for work related stuff, which he would just as soon hit the 'delete all' button and not listen to any messages. His only message on his personal phone was from Sookie, thanking him breathlessly for the flowers. She sounded nervous but delighted despite herself. And then she left a little tidbit at the end: "I'll be home tonight if you want to call." Of course he would call, but not on the phone as she probably expected. He would call on her personally. He could tell even from his room that it was a beautiful night for a walk.

An hour later, Eric's corvette rolled slowly down Sookie's driveway, avoiding the damn potholes. If she couldn't do anything about them, he would. He wasn't going to break an axle in the middle of the night on Sookie's driveway. The lights were all on in the house, and through the open windows he could hear the TV playing. He frowned at the door being opened with just a screen door between her and any intruder. The open windows bothered him too. What was she thinking given there was someone murdering and raping women who were known to consort with vampires? Of course, no one yet knew about the two of them, but this was a VERY small town. He would have to arrange for her security as soon as he left here. But for now, he would enjoy her company. He closed the car door and scented the air. There was only the scent of the random animal in the woods and the trees and grass at the end of a humid day. And the scent of Sookie of course.

Having heard the car, Sookie stood at the front door with the light behind her, reflecting in her shiny blond hair like a halo. She smiled softly as he approached her, taking in his black raw silk shirt with the sleeves rolled to his elbows and black jeans. He in turn smiled at her pajamas and the cows jumping over the moon motif on the pants. She leaned casually against the doorframe unmoving, while he stood at the bottom of the worn and mostly unpainted steps. Their eyes hadn't left each other. The pull of what was becoming an expected phenomenon between them was as strong as ever and they could both sense it, but neither was in a hurry to break the silence. Finally, Sookie caved with a welcoming smile.

"I suppose since you are here Mr. Northman," she teased lightly, her voice barely above a whisper, "perhaps you should come in."

TBC

A/N: A REALLY BIG THANK YOU to all of you who have reviewed this story, marked it as a favorite or an alert. There really have been a surprising number! I hope to post every day or so, just one or two chapters at a time, since it could get rather long. If you liked this story so far, you might want to check out my other True Blood drabble ++ called Loving You Forever. It is three chapters and is E/S all the way. Remember to review! Just click the button and there you go!